Their eyes met across the crowded Student Union. As the sunlight filtered through the windowed entrance of the union, a strand of Lauren's hair fell across her face as she sat in the armchairs people watching. She lifted her arm, and moved the hair back into place.
From the elevators, Corey gazed at Lauren. The love affair had been going on for weeks now, and no one in the offices knew anything about it. He smiled, stepping into the elevator, as he thought of their first time together.
Late one Tuesday after Niner Times production had ended, Corey sat alone in his office looking over the pages. The staff had finally all left; Ed and Joel had finished their pages last, and Corbin had decided to stay behind and post new articles to the website. When all work had been done and computers logged off, Corey was eventually alone.
When he had to go to the bathroom, he stood and left his office, planning to return after a quick break. He walked swiftly down the hall, and as he passed the Sanskirt office, he glanced in. Lauren sat behind a computer, reading over a poem for the magazine. He wasn't sure why, but Corey wanted to say something, anything, to her.
As he used the bathroom, he decided that if Lauren was still alone when he returned, he would say hello to her. He flushed, washed his hands, and eagerly left the men's restroom. His heart raced and his pace slowed as he approached the Sanskirt office.
He stopped at the door, and looked in. Lauren sat quietly in the room, her face lit only by the computer screen. Corey took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
"Hey Lauren," Corey's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "What are you doing here so late?"
She looked up, startled by the sudden voice in the previously silent office. "Oh, you know, reading." Her voice trailed off as she met his eyes, then glanced away.
"Can I come in?" He asked, though he entered before he received permission.
Corey walked to his office, reliving that night for the hundredth time since it had happened. As he sat at the desk, he prayed no one would question Lauren's presence in his office.
As that thought crossed his mind, Lauren peeked her head around the corner of Corey's doorframe.
"Can I come in?" She smirked as she entered and sat in the chair across from him. "How are you?" Her slender fingers traced the edge of his desk, and Corey smiled back.
"I'm great, now close the door." They laughed, as Corey came out from behind his desk and the pair came together in a long embrace.
In the NinerOnline room, Erika and Colby struggled to edit together the next episode of Print Error. It was midday on Thursday, and half of the people employed by NinerOnline crowded the small office.
"Let's go work in the Times room," Erika suggested to Colby. "I can't do this in here."
He nodded in agreeance, and they began making their way to the newspaper's office.
"Corey!" Erika called out to him as she and Colby entered the room. Dana (N) and Dana (B) looked up from the conversation they were having and smiled.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Dana (N) asked.
"Not a whole lot. We want to do some work in here." Erika went to the door of Corey's office and put her ear to it. "Is Corey in there alone?"
"No, he's in there with Lauren." Dana (B) looked knowingly at Erika, alluding to suspicions of an intimate relationship between Corey and Lauren.
Erika caught Dana (B)'s hints, and smiled, listening at the door to Corey's office again. "Sounds like Corey is getting it in." She laughed and looked over at Colby, who was not smiling.
A pang of jealously shot through Colby as he thought of Corey and Lauren together. Colby had been interested in Lauren since his involvement with Niner Media began, and the thought of Corey being bolder and making a move first made him want to vomit.
Erika noticed the look on Colby's face, and laughed as she moved away from Corey's office and towards a computer.
"What's wrong, Colby?" She asked, as her laughter began to break up her words. "Want to hook up with Corey?"
"No!" Colby snapped back quickly, and the laughter that had filled the room ended.
"God Colby, I was just kidding."
Colby sighed as he joined Erika at a computer.
Not long after, the door to Corey's office opened, and Lauren stepped out. Colby turned and watched as Lauren left the Niner Times office. His heart sank as Corey moved into the doorway of his office and smiled.
"What was going on in there, Corey?" Dana (N) said as she watched Corey attempt to restrain his smile.
"Nothing. We were just discussing ways to, uh," Corey struggled to find words. "Bring Sanskirt and the paper together. We, uh, might include them in the website."
"How?"
"We don't know yet." Corey glanced at his feet, noticing that one was bare and the other had a sock. He hid the bare foot behind the doorframe. "We still need to talk to RFC. They might want to be involved. Or something. We just don't know yet." Corey quickly backed into his office and shut the door again.
"Sketch." Dana (B) looked at Dana (N), who nodded.
"Corey got some." Erika laughed as she went back to her work.
Colby sunk back in his seat, losing himself to his thoughts. He was determined to defeat Corey and win Lauren's affection. His jealousy and anger flared as he thought of what had just happened in Corey's office, and he vowed that he would not take no as an answer from the apple of his eye.